Each successive generation of communication devices is driven by the need for smaller size, greater efficiency, and lower cost. Various types of antennas have been developed to meet these and other increasingly stringent requirements. These include planar inverted F antennas, patch antennas, meander line antennas, and antennas that are combinations of these types.
A wireless LAN (local area network) is one in which an electronic device can connect to other devices on the network through a wireless (radio) connection. WiFi is a local area wireless networking technology that provides two-way communications functionality for devices on the network. Wireless LANs have become popular not only in the office and home but also for mobile communications devices.
One of the frequency bands for WiFi operation is the 2.4 GHz band. For devices operating in this band, there is a particular need for antenna design that is compact, radiates efficiently in free space or connected to a ground plane, and whose impedance matching can be controlled without the need for extraneous matching components.